HVAC Investigators releases 2014 Annual Claims ReportClaims JournalHVAC Investigators, a national provider of heating, ventilation and air conditioning damage assessments to insurers, recently published its 2014 Annual Claims Report. Provided to insurance carriers across the country, this report provides data on HVAC trends that can help carriers make more informed decisions on their specialty HVAC and refrigeration claims.

EPA: Cellulosic RINs were generated in AprilEthanol Producer MagazineThe U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for April, reporting that both D3 cellulosic biofuel and D7 cellulosic diesel RINs were generated during the month. According to the EIA, 2,091 D7 cellulosic RINs were generated in April, bringing the total for the first four months of the year to 2,354 RINs. EIA data shows all 2,563 of these RINS were generated for cellulosic heating oil. To date, all 2014 D7 RINs have been generated by importers.

Low sulfur heating oil required in VermontWVNY-TVIn an effort to move toward cleaner fuel, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin passed the Clean & Green Energy Act in 2011. It goes into effect on July 1. All dealers selling in Vermont will be required to use low-sulfur oil. The sulfur content in regular heating oil is 2,000 parts per million. That needs to be reduced to 500ppm on July 1 and all the way down to 15ppm in 2018.

OESP announces its 2014 scholarship winnersOESPThe awarding process was different this year. With the new Roadshow concept, we did not have an Awards Banquet. This year, we asked the chapters to take a bigger role in the presentations. Some other interesting twists took place as well. For example, one of our winners, Alrick Crowe, won his fifth consecutive scholarship. Alrick won the OESP/Garden State Chapter Award.

Three other winners, Samuel Gumbert, Michael Boylston and Roger Bruso, are two-time winners. And in a first, four of the winners are attending PA College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The winners are:

Alrick Crowe — Alrick will receive his MBA from Iona College, in New Rochelle, New York. Alrick is currently a teacher at the High School for Energy and Technology, in the Bronx.Samuel Gumbert — Samuel attends Penn Commercial, in Washington, Pennsylvania, where he maintains a 4.0 average. Samuel will receive the OESP award.Thomas Daros Jr. — Thomas is the nephew of one of our members, Bob Daros, of Heritage Fuel, in Croton Falls, New York. Thomas will be attending the PA College of Technology. Thomas will receive the OESP/Honeywell Award.Michael Boylston — Michael is from Carmel, New York, and also is attending the PA College of Technology. Michael is currently at sophomore and has maintained a 3.8 GPA. Michael will receive the OESP & Mid-Atlantic Chapter Award. Roger Bruso — From Feeding Hills, Maryland, Roger is another student from the PA College of Technology. Roger's dad, Len, is a member of the association and owns an oil company. Roger will receive the OESP/Taco Award.Evan Aigelding — Evan is from Broomall, Pennsylvania, and attends the PA College of Technology. He will receive the OESP/Weil-McLain Award.

Because so many of the winners are attending the PA College of Technology, the Association will probably invite the co-sponsors of the scholarship to a special event at the school this fall.

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Register today for classes starting in JuneOESPTake a few moments and review the educational opportunities coming to you this summer. Click on the "Read More" link view the outline of specific classes. Register online or call 888-552-0900. There are two important classes in June — the restart of our PROSMA Program, June 18, and Tank Certification Classes, June 24 and 25. Check it out and registere for these important classes.

HVAC Contractor Comfort Index hits highest levelAppliance MagazineU.S. HVAC contractors' optimism about short-term growth continued to rise in May 2014, as measured by the Contractor Comfort Index (CCI) from industry association ACCA. The May 2014 CCI stood at 86, which is the highest reading for the index since ACCA started tracking it in February 2010.

Remembering the basics during the HVAC busy seasonContracting BusinessAnyone who's in the HVAC business knows that the summer means being swarmed by customers, tired employees and overworked management staff.
While it's a welcome time with more customers being served and profits soaring, it can get stressful. However, there are still a few "must" activities that cannot fall off the radar.

8 rules on how HVAC technicians can help sellContracting BusinessTechnicians don't ever want to come across as salespeople — they want to do their due dilignece, find the problems, make a list of things that must be fixed, should be fixed or could be fixed later and present this to the homeowners, then wait for the customers to ask questions. But these eight simple rules can help technicians stay focused on the job at hand and better able to close more necessary sales than they otherwise could.

Pressure grows in the service departmentOil & EnergyCommunicating effectively with customers and co-workers is more important than ever now, because service departments are expected to generate business and offset lost profits from heating oil sales. Curtis Reynolds, Service Manager at White Mountain Oil & Propane, in North Conway, N.H., said technicians are the primary connection between the company and the customer, and they need to be comfortable with that responsibility.

Update on New Jersey HVACR licensingIndoor Comfort MarketingOn May 28, the FMA attended the monthly meeting of the New Jersey Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors. The Board agreed with FMA's suggestion that licensed HVACR contractors do not also need to be registered home improvement contractors to install or remove an above ground storage tank.

8 ways to fail at being a managerBy Christina Nava For leaders, it's understandable that as the going gets rough, tensions rise up. It can be a stressful job running a company and being in charge of a good majority, if not all, of its employees. It's important to keep in mind that how you react to situations should be at a professional level, because as a manager you have chosen to take on a leadership role. With that said, here are eight unprofessional behaviors that need to be avoided when you're put in a leadership or management position.

12 essential features of a comprehensive company brochureContracting BusinessA company brochure is Marketing 101. It's a catch-all piece that explains your company to interested parties (e.g., potential customers, potential employees, vendors, etc.). Yet, few contractors create one because most do not know how to start or what to include. Your challenge is no longer what to include, but how to assemble the information with the brevity required to keep a brochure to no more than four pages.

Alternative business loans can hurt contractorsContractor MagazineDuring the economic crisis of 2008, the credit market to businesses dried up. However, alternative financing for businesses came to the rescue. Merchant cash advance loans, and invoice financing stepped in to fill the void left by the banks. These loans are a great first step solution for companies; but they are just that, a first step solution. If a business does not have a plan to move past this type of funding, they are probably going to fail.

New York, Connecticut pass thermostat lawThe Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration NewsEffective July 1, any person or contractor who replaces a mercury-containing thermostat in New York or Connecticut must deliver it to an appropriate collection site to be recycled. A new bill also mandates that no HVAC wholesale distributor in those states shall sell or distribute any thermostat unless it also participates as a collection site to recycle mercury thermostats.